Indecisiveness, Exclusion Prevented Federal Online Gambling Bill From Passing

Former Nevada Congressman Jon Porter blamed the casino industry’s indecisiveness for the failure to pass federal legalization of online gambling over the past few years.

Porter, who is now a lobbyist for the industry, also said that gaming interests refused to recognize the importance of Tribal casino groups and state lotteries.

“Those are some powerful groups,” the former Congressman said during this week’s International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking at Caesars Palace.

“Each time the issue came up, the industry had a different perspective,” said Porter, who was joined on the panel by former Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli and Ultimate Gaming Chairman Tom Breitling. “(The industry) was sending too many mixed signals.”

Another federal bill is anticipated in the coming weeks as individual states like Nevada and New Jersey mull over how best to create a lucrative player pool for intrastate licensed Web poker rooms.  Both states legalized online gambling for real money within their borders earlier in the year while a handful of other states contemplate doing the same.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com